43% of Philadelphia voters lack photo ID.

Approximately 437,237 Philadelphia residents will not be able to vote under Pennsylvania’s controversial new voter ID law. Statewide, it’s 1.6M people, or one in five voters. This law was pushed strongly by Republicans and—damnest thing—it’s mostly Democrats who are disenfranchised by this law. It’s no wonder that the U.S. Attorney General is investigating whether the law violates the Voting Rights Act. →

Don’t drive, don’t travel, don’t use technology – you don’t have a photo ID. Probably lost your birth certificate, if one was ever issued. You may still have that military photo ID from 70 years ago, and the newspaper clippings of your community service; but that isn’t good enough for the people who bought the Republican Party.

The Pa voter ID is “free”. The ride to purchase the birth certificate, the ride to the DMV to get it, the time off from work – not so much. Poor/old people walk to their polling places, are shuttled by their churches, or assisted living communities.

I would think a government program that would help the poor get ID’s would be in everyone interest. How can even the poor function without a proper id. Can’t get real work, fly, or get some government assistance without one. The issue isn’t voter fraud it democrats and republicans fighting over voter fraud when they should be trying to get these people some valid government ideas.

Bubby…Seriously… the time off work??? You can’t work legally for a company without a valid ID- anywhere, thanks to the I-9. It is hard to be a functional part of society today without an ID. Most of these people aren’t worried about missing work. I’m with Micheal- free IDs for everyone.

Perhaps, instead of *only* herding people to the polls like cattle, and telling them who to vote for, then dumping them back in their slum and forgetting about them, groups like ACORN can spend a little more time with these people they claim to care so much about. Maybe take some of them to a state agency to get an ID.

ACORN? You mean the organization that was liquidated in 2010? Or does it not really matter, when you’re going on about things that are only true in your imagination?

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I’m pretty sure my grandfather (WWII vet) doesn’t have a valid photo ID anymore. Sure, he’s been to quite a few places (they didn’t ask for a passport at the time, but he got one, eventually). And he’s got a load of financial accounts. Some opened 50+ years ago. Now? Best he could do is a driver’s license that (thank god) expired years ago. And none of us are interested in taking him to the DMV for a non-license ID because we’re not having *that* fight again.

And because he lives in Minnesota, this isn’t really a problem. Well, unless the Minnesota GOP get their way, and successfully pass an amendment requiring photo ID this fall.

Tom, that’s a requirement of the Secret Service. Given that there’s been a huge spike in threats against the life in the president over prior presidents, that seems like an awfully cold thing to begrudge him.